Tri-Cities teen baker wows judges with ‘A+’ Food Network competition debut. How to watch
Tri-City baker Jack Whalen’s lemon curd tart earned rave reviews from Food Network judges during the first week of “Kids Baking Championship.”
The 13-year-old from West Richland is competing for $25,000 and the title of Kids Baking Champion in the show’s 13th season, which is “amazing animals” themed.
The first episode, which aired Monday night, saw Whalen and 11 other competitors make an “animal texture tart” inspired by the scales, feathers, fur or fins of a specific animal.
Jack — a Three Rivers HomeLink seventh grader, who enjoys playing chess and swimming competitively — picked the yellow tang fish.
He baked a lemon curd and pineapple jam tart, topped with sliced pineapples for scales. This week’s twist required contestants to add a tail, so Jack framed his tart with a piece of sugar glass.
Judges Duff Goldman gave Jack an “A+,” and Kardea Brown said it was “genius” that he used fruit to give the dish the natural yellow color. They recommended he use more sugar and pull back the lemon juice in his “tart” tart.
“This looks great,” Goldman said.
Episodes air 8 p.m. Mondays and are available on-demand the next day on streaming service Max. Next week’s challenge will see contestants tackle animal-shaped macarons.
The finale airs 8 p.m. Monday, March 3. It will see the top-three bakers dig deep for their most “zoo-inspired” cake before a winner is crowned.
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Tri-Cities teen baker wows judges with ‘A+’ Food Network competition debut. How to watch."
